Chapter 542: The Last Pokémon

"Kabutops and Mienshao are both unable to battle! Contestants, send out your next Pokémon!"

The referee raised both flags and announced the double knockout.

Gage and Mason were now down to two Pokémon each.

The atmosphere in the arena had completely changed. The very first match of the tournament had already turned into a grueling war of attrition, proof enough that nobody who made it this far was here by accident.

For several seconds, the crowd seemed to hold its breath. Then, once it sank in that both Pokémon were truly down, the stands erupted.

"That was insane! What a fight!"

"If the first match is already this good, what the hell are the later rounds going to look like?"

"League University and the Defense Academy definitely came prepared."

"I heard Gage grew up in the mountains. Getting this far without some huge family backing him is seriously impressive."

"Please. He's only hanging on because he has the type advantage. Otherwise Mason would've finished him ages ago."

"Heh, exactly. If that were me, I'd have swept all six by now."

"If you're that damn good, why are you still sitting in the stands? Get down there and prove it."

Praise, trash talk, and arguments flew back and forth through the audience, but the noise gradually died down as both Trainers prepared to continue.

Mason was the first to move.

"Rampardos, you're up!"

A flash of light revealed a dinosaur-like Pokémon with a gray body, blue markings, and a thick blue dome covering its skull.

Rampardos.

Its base Attack stat alone reached a monstrous 165.

"RAAAH!"

The moment it appeared, Rampardos threw back its head and unleashed a fierce roar, practically radiating eagerness for battle.

Gage answered by drawing his fifth Poké Ball.

"Paldean Tauros, let's go!"

White light flashed, and a powerful black bull with three long tails landed heavily on the battlefield.

"Moooo!"

It lowered its head and let out a deep, aggressive bellow the instant it saw Rampardos.

The effect was immediate.

Rampardos instinctively stiffened.

Intimidate.

Its Attack dropped by one stage.

Tauros had not entered the field for free, though. The Stealth Rock still scattered across Gage's side immediately sprang into action, jagged stones striking its body before vanishing again.

Tauros grunted and dug its hooves into the ground, refusing to give Mason even the slightest sign of weakness.

"Rampardos, charge! Iron Head!"

Seeing its Attack reduced, Mason immediately went on the offensive.

"RAAAH!"

Rampardos roared as if trying to shake off the effects of Intimidate. A silver-white metallic sheen spread across its skull before it lowered its head and charged.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Every step shook the battlefield.

Gage did not back down.

"Tauros, meet it head-on! Raging Bull!"

"MUU!"

Reddish-brown Fighting-type energy erupted around the bull as its eyes sharpened. It scraped one hoof across the ground, lowered its horns, and thundered forward.

Raging Bull was normally a Normal-type move, but its type changed depending on the form of Paldean Tauros using it.

This Tauros was the Fighting-type Combat Breed.

For it, Raging Bull became a Fighting-type attack—a powerful charge backed by STAB and perfectly suited to smashing through Rock types.

Neither Pokémon slowed.

BOOM!

Their skulls collided in the center of the battlefield.

A violent shockwave ripped outward, sending dust and loose stones skittering across the arena. Tauros and Rampardos locked heads and pushed against each other with everything they had, muscles straining as neither gave up an inch.

"Tauros, Close Combat!"

At that distance, there was no realistic way for Rampardos to escape.

Mason knew it too.

"Rampardos, Zen Headbutt! Trade with it!"

"RAAAH!"

"MOOOO!"

Both Pokémon attacked from point-blank range.

Tauros exploded into motion first, hammering Rampardos with a furious barrage of Fighting-type blows.

Close Combat.

A 120-power move, boosted by STAB and super effective against Rock.

For Rampardos, taking it cleanly was devastating.

But Mason had chosen to trade for a reason.

Psychic energy flared around Rampardos' massive skull, intensified further by Sheer Force, and it drove its head straight into Tauros before the bull could pull away.

WHAM!

The Zen Headbutt landed flush.

Psychic-type damage was super effective against Tauros.

Neither side came out of the exchange untouched.

BOOM! BOOM!

The two Pokémon were hurled in opposite directions.

Rampardos crashed into the battlefield first, carving through the ground before coming to a violent stop.

Its eyes were already spinning.

Out cold.

Several meters away, Tauros slammed into another patch of broken earth and lay still for a moment.

Then one of its legs twitched.

"Mo..."

It grunted weakly and tried to force itself back up.

Its front legs trembled.

For a second, it almost managed it.

Then its strength gave out.

Tauros collapsed back into the crater, its eyes turning into swirls as well.

The referee looked from one side to the other before raising both flags.

"Tauros and Rampardos are both unable to battle! Contestants, send out your final Pokémon!"

Another double knockout.

This time, neither Gage nor Mason reacted to the crowd.

Both had gone completely serious.

One Pokémon remained on each side.

They recalled their fallen partners almost simultaneously and reached for their final Poké Balls.

...

Back in League University's preparation area, Aaron frowned as he watched the two Pokémon disappear into red light.

"They're both down to their last Pokémon now. At this point, everything depends on what Gage saved for the end."

Then he glanced sideways at Edmund.

"President, you've been acting suspicious this entire match. What's his last Pokémon?"

The old man's smile immediately turned mischievous.

"Ask nicely."

Aaron stared at him.

Edmund cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and demonstrated with exaggerated dignity.

"Something like... 'President Edmund, pretty please?'"

Aaron: "..."

Braveon: "..."

Dorian and Ivy: "..."

All four stared at him in complete silence.

There was no mistaking it.

Edmund had been spending far too much time watching short-video memes online.